Rita Coyle

Rita at 2015 Dinner with Union President , Conor McCarthy

At the 2 December 2014 AGM of the Union, Rita Coyle resigned her Union mandate but pledged to help out during an unspecified transition period. That was a mistake on her part for it allowed the Union to carry on as if her resignation was merely a figment of the imagination! Some eighteen months later of leaning on Rita, we must acknowledge that she is indeed moving on.

If one looks at the history of Honorary Officers of the Union, two things become apparent: at just short of nineteen years, Rita is the longest serving officer in the history of the Union; and even though she nominally went under the title of administrator, she did in fact inherit the role of Joint Honorary Secretary that previously had been undertaken by a long line of Vincentian fathers.

Back in 1998 the commitment to recruit Rita was then a large step for the Union but it immediately became clear that in Rita we had landed someone special and someone who immediately “got” what we were about and trying to achieve. In the 18 years since she has been the glue that has held the Union together, assisted umpteen class reunions and dealt with countless queries from past men. Indeed much of the rude health of the Union today is down to the good work undertaken by Rita.

At the the 2014 AGM, Rita was presented with a cut-glass vase to mark the occasion of her retirement, and that was followed by floral tributes presented at the 2015 Lunch and Dinner. At the 2016 AGM Rita was elected as an Honorary Member of the Union and also retrospectively confirmed as the Joint Honorary Secretary for the years 1998 through to 2016. That is our public assurance to her that she can now indeed retire.

So the end of her Union innings but not Knock, as happily Rita will continue to work part-time in her admissions role so shall be 'around the College' for a few years more.

On behalf of all past men, we would like to wish Rita a long, happy and prosperous retirement.